Not applicable
This invention relates to planetary sphere/ring gears, specifically to such gears located at mid-point of a vehicle""s axle and for use in conjunction with a swiveling and swinging chain wheel with pedals, and drive chain for use in pedal-powered vehicles that have three or more wheels.
When one rides a two-wheeled bicycle across a slope, the rider leans the bicycle and his body into a gravitational, upright position. This is a comfortable pedaling position as the body and bicycle are in line. But when one pedals a three, four, or more wheeled vehicle across a slope, one finds that as the vehicle tips, with some of its wheels higher up the slope and some of its wheels remaining lower on the slope, the rider must lean one way or the other on the fixed stand with its pedals in order to stay straight with the world. This is very awkward and uncomfortable while pedaling because the pedals"" drive wheel and operator""s seat are at a different angle than the upright operator. Some inventors have proposed pedal-powered vehicles with three or four wheels. They are: J. L. Henry, U.S. Pat. No. 883,019 (1907), Howard, U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,088 (1991) and Birkestrand, U.S. Pat. No. 5,845,593 (1996) but none of these have a pedal-powered system which allows its operator to pedal the vehicle while in a gravitational, comfortable, upright position when traversing across slopes.
Applicant""s current invention accomplishes this with its planetary sphere/ring gear, which is installed at mid-point of the vehicle""s axle. The said sphere/ring gear comprises a ball and socket type of gear; and, in conjunction with its swinging and swiveling chain wheel it has a drive chain that interconnects a toothed ring on an axle and a chain wheel.
Accordingly, besides the objects and advantages of a planetary sphere/ring gear described above, other objects and advantages of the present invention are:
(a) to provide a planetary sphere/ring gear that is simple in construction; and
(b) to provide a planetary sphere/ring gear which is located in the middle of a three or more wheeled pedal-powered vehicle""s front or rear axle and when used in conjunction with a swinging and swiveling chain wheel and said sphere/ring gear and said chain wheel are interconnected by a drive chain, results in the drive wheel with pedals and the operator""s seat to be in an upright position when traversing across slopes. No leaning by the operator makes for natural and comfortable pedaling. The chain wheel, pedals, and operator""s seat all hang from a cradle and then gravity keeps them always in a straight-with-the-world position.